Information Update: Bow Valley Obstetrical Health Services

January 24, 2013

Over the past several months Alberta Health Services, its care providers and community members in Banff and Canmore have consulted with and worked with local stakeholders on the decision to consolidate obstetrics services in the corridor.

The Community & Rural Health plan begun in 2011, has provided direction for community and rural health planning in the Bow Valley, including obstetrical services. That plan involved engagement with more than 80 community members in both Banff and Canmore and further public consultation. The result in early 2012 was a three-year service plan for the area.

This means, based on the recommendations in the planning framework, Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health will move forward in consolidating obstetrical services in the Bow Valley to the Canmore Hospital and vascular and plastic surgery to the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital in March, 2013.

It’s important to emphasize that this was a clinical decision based on quality of patient care and patient-care needs. Although we welcome and respect many viewpoints, we feel it is also important to respect the recommendations of the community members and clinical stakeholders who came to this decision after many months of review and deliberation.

We’ve met with the physicians involved, we have shared the information with the community and we’ve opened many channels to hear further feedback. Those channels remain open and we welcome further forward-looking, constructive engagement in the interests of patients.

Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health want to continue to provide timely information about these transitions. It is important to us that the people we serve have the opportunity to ask questions.

We invite you to learn more about our plans and would like to hear from you at the number and email on the right hand side of this page.